The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-03-05
The Ere. het and the Canal.

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OTTAWA, ILL, March 3, 1887.
.Nessrs. Editors As "Occasional' has
charged in your Issue of Feb Goth that the
statements made In your issue If Feb, 10Th
were nearly every word false; and as those
statements were obtained from me, In an
interview with your reporter, feel that |
ought to reply briefly to the wholesale
charge of falsehoOd.
1 visited Dayton Tuesday, Wednesday
and Thursday following the overflow of
the canal bank at Dayton, on Sunday. the
18th of February last. l examined and
inspected the canal banks, lock and feed.
gates each day; and l hereby declare and
affirm that not cents worth Of damage
was done 10 the canal banks or canal prop.
erty at Dayton at that overflow, either Sun.
day, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or
Thursday, the day they finally let in the
water. Nor was there one cents worth of
work done nor material furnished or used
for any repairs to the canal during that
time at that place for any damage done the
canal by the overflow of the Fox river into
the canal.
The canal authorities declared to me
Tuesday morning, standing on the bridge
at DAYTON, that there was no damage done
TO the canal.
Now, will Mr.. Occasional" inform me,
or the public, why the water could not
have been let into the canal as soon, at
least. as Its authorities were Informed that
no damage was done and no repairs were
needed.
"Occasional' says some water was let IN
on Tuesday. That may be true; but l
measured the water In the lock at the head
of the feeder every day,-Tuesday, Wed.
nesday and Thursday,-and the water was
twenty inches lower Thursday morning
than Wednesday morning; so that, If the
gates were opened Tuesday, they must
have been closed again.
occasional says that the State men
watched the banks all night Sunday night,
and at the same time admits that the Ice
gorge broke below the dam, in the river,
Sunday night and that the water went
down. But he neglects to inform US that
ON Monday notwithstanding, as he says
tho danger was over) they did cut the
feeder bank more than one mile below
where the overflow was and when there
was no water In the canal and no prospect
of any. And this large hole was cut In the
narrowest part of the bank and where, II
wsshout could have been furnished to the
invitation thus made and kept open three
full days flor it was notreflled until Thurs
day, l think 1t would have been later than
the next planting time before the cank
would have been rebuilt. Occasional, )"
especially in the Ottawa Republicans, isvery
full In his charge Of falsehood, but still
follows each charge with an admission OF
facts stated In the FREE TRADER of the
10th of February. He says, ii the weather
should change, &c, SC. as we'll he might
say, II we should have a June freshet or
II some other awful thing should happen,
II was safe to wait and see.
The canal authority that would shut the
water out of the canal and keep 1t out for
four days and cut a large hole In the canal
bank and keep II open three days as pre-
caution against what may happen in the
future, is no doubt very prudent su.
thority,
And now, If Occasional" will point out,
over his own signature, where one cents
worth of damage was done to the canal on
account of the overflow, or where, during
the time between Sunday and Thursday,
one cents worth of repairs was made by
the canal authorities on account of the
damage done by the overflow, that shall be
the truth, then will confess that l am
wrong. Until that Is done, no matter how
many times you charge me with falsehood'
the facts as states must stand for the truth.
No, Mr.. Occasional" the conduct up
there at that time is consistent with the
conduct here daily. There is hardly day
but the water In the main canal Is any
where from ten to twenty inches below
navigation stage. That, Mr.. Authority
knows full we'll, taken from six-fc OF head,
well nigh destroys the power on that head.
And all, as Mr.. Authority says, because he
will take no chances.
Once more, II, as Occasional says, II
was true that an Ice ba, was formed across